Correlates of socio-economic inequalities in women's television viewing: a study of intrapersonal, social and environmental mediators

Cross-sectional data were provided by 1,554 women (aged 18-65) who participated in the 'Socio-economic Status and Activity in Women study' of 2004. Based on an ecological framework, women self-reported their socio-economic position (highest education level), television viewing, as well as a number of potential intrapersonal (enjoyment of television viewing, preference for leisure-time sedentary behavior, depression, stress, weight status), social (social participation, interpersonal trust, social cohesion, social support for physical activity from friends and from family) and physical activity environmental factors (safety, aesthetics, distance to places of interest, and distance to physical activity facilities).Multiple mediating analyses showed that two intrapersonal factors (enjoyment of television viewing and weight status) and two social factors (social cohesion and social support from friends for physical activity) partly explained the educational inequalities in women's television viewing. No physical activity environmental factors mediated educational variations in television viewing.Acknowledging the cross-sectional nature of this study, these findings suggest that health promotion interventions aimed at reducing educational inequalities in television viewing should focus on intrapersonal and social strategies, particularly providing enjoyable alternatives to television viewing, weight-loss/management information, increasing social cohesion in the neighborhood and promoting friend support for activity.Sedentary behavior, defined as sitting behaviors that are performed at or slightly above the resting metabolic rate (1-1.5 METS) [1], has become increasingly prevalent in developed countries [2], with television viewing the most common leisure-time activity amongst adults from Australia [3], the UK [4] and the US [5]. Sedentary behaviors, particularly television viewing, have been linked to an increased risk of chronic health conditions independent of physical